Advanced Reactors


The progress so far: An update on the Reactor Pilot Program

November 14, 2025, 12:10PMNuclear News
Members of the Aalo team at the first ground-breaking ceremony for a project accelerated by the Reactor Pilot Program. (Photo: Aalo Atomics)

It has been about three months since the Department of Energy named 10 companies for its new Reactor Pilot Program, which set an ambitious goal of having three reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.

Constellation considers advanced nuclear in Maryland

November 5, 2025, 12:00PMNuclear News

Constellation is considering adding 2,000 MW of nuclear energy at Calvert Cliffs, located on Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Md., which would effectively double the site’s output, according to the company’s near- and long-term project proposals submitted to the Marland Public Service Commission this week.

The EIB funds Finland as MDBs around the world embrace nuclear

November 4, 2025, 9:31AMNuclear News
The Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in Finland. (Photo: TVO)

The European Investment Bank recently announced that it is providing €90 million ($103.8 million) in financing to Finnish nuclear power company Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO). The funding is to be used by TVO to support new upgrades and maintenance at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.

Amazon provides update on its Washington project with X-energy

October 20, 2025, 3:00PMNuclear News
Annotated concept art of the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, depicting three reactor buildings that each house four units. (Source: Amazon)

A year ago this month, Amazon led a $500 million investment in X-energy, alongside Citadel founder Ken Griffin, the University of Michigan, and other investors. In addition to that financing, Amazon pledged to support the development of an initial four-unit, 320-MW project with Energy Northwest in Washington state.

Nano to begin drilling next week in Illinois

October 16, 2025, 3:00PMNuclear News
Image: Nano

It’s been a good month for Nano Nuclear in the state of Illinois. On October 7, the Office of Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the company would be awarded $6.8 million from the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois Act to help fund the development of its new regional research and development facility in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook.

Radiant to build first microreactor at Tenn. Manhattan Project site

October 15, 2025, 7:01AMNuclear News

Radiant Industries will build its first portable nuclear reactor at the site of the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

The land for Radiant’s new factory includes portions of the K-27 and K-29 Manhattan Project sites. The company plans to test Kaleidos, a 1-MW nuclear microreactor, in 2026, with first deployments expected soon after.

The current status of heat pipe R&D

October 10, 2025, 4:42PMNuclear NewsIlyas Yilgor, Mauricio Tano, Katrina Sweetland, Joshua Hansel, and Piyush Sabharwall
A high-temperature heat pipe glows during operation at ~800°C at INL’s SPHERE test facility. (Photo: INL)

Idaho National Laboratory under the Department of Energy–sponsored Microreactor Program recently conducted a comprehensive phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) exercise aimed at advancing heat pipe technology for microreactor applications.

Nano Nuclear to receive $6.8 million award from Illinois

October 8, 2025, 10:13AMNuclear News
A rendering of the proposed Kronos MRR at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Image: NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.

New York City–based advanced nuclear technology developer Nano Nuclear and the Office of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Tuesday that Nano will receive $6.8 million in state funding to establish its new manufacturing and research and development facility in Illinois.

Oklo breaks ground at INL on Aurora reactor

September 29, 2025, 6:25AMNuclear News
Oklo employees alongside leaders from federal, state, and local government at the ground-breaking ceremony. (Photo: Oklo)

Following the same milestones from Aalo Atomics and Valar Atomics, Santa Clara, Calif.–based reactor start-up Oklo has become the third company participating in the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program to break ground on its fast-tracked project at Idaho National Laboratory.

Valar Atomics breaks ground in Utah

September 25, 2025, 9:30AMNuclear News
The golden ground-breaking shovels for Valar’s USREL site are posed dramatically in front of an American flag hung on a Kiewit excavator. (Source: Valar Atomics)

El Segundo, Calif.–based reactor start-up Valar Atomics recently announced that it has broken ground on its test reactor, the Ward 250, at Utah San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL), becoming the second company participating in the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program to do so.

All-European team leads lead-cooled EAGLES reactor project

September 19, 2025, 9:30AMNuclear News
IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi (center right) attends the signing of an agreement by representatives of the EAGLES Consortium and the nuclear regulators of Belgium, Italy, and Romania. (Photo: IAEA)

The nuclear regulators of Belgium, Italy, and Romania signed on this week to the first “prelicensing” project under the IAEA’s Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI) during the opening day of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 69th General Conference, pledging to work with the EAGLES Consortium to clarify regulatory requirements for a lead-cooled reactor ahead of formal licensing.

Fermi America looks to go public as NRC accepts COLA for AP1000s

September 10, 2025, 9:28AMNuclear News
Preliminary site map for Project Matador from Fermi America’s SEC filing (Source: Fermi America)

Texas Tech University and Fermi America are now one step closer to realizing their massive vision for the Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus in Amarillo, Texas, as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted the first two parts of its combined license application (COLA) for four Westinghouse AP1000s.

Aalo breaks ground in Idaho

September 3, 2025, 7:01AMNuclear News
Members of the Aalo team at the ground-breaking ceremony. (Photo: Aalo)

Eight days after Aalo Atomics released the details of its securing of $100 million in Series B funding, the company announced that it has broken ground on the 10-MWe Aalo-X. Sited in the desert beside Idaho National Laboratory, it will be the company’s first nuclear power plant, and it remains on track to go on line by July 4, 2026.